After 27 years, Virginia court clears Thomas Haynesworth of rape

After spending 27 years in jail, Thomas Haynesworth has been cleared of rape by a Virginia court. A ‘writ of actual innocence’ has been issued for him, confirming that the original conviction has been overturned.

Thomas Haynesworth was 18 years old when he was convicted of three rapes back in 1984. Now in his 40s, he says he never gave up trying to prove his innocence. He insisted that he had been falsely identified, and DNA evidence finally cleared him on two of the rapes, while there was no physical evidence for the third.

It’s not clear what Thomas Haynesworth will do now that he is free, or whether he will seek compensation for the fact that a huge chunk of his life has been taken away from him for no good reason.